SunfallE

[quote name='Starr112']Should there be school uniforms? Give reasons for your answer. I think there should be because then kids wouldnt get picked on for wht they wear.[/quote] [COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Personally I don't think school uniforms are going to stop kids from picking on each other. Like Lady Katana said they will just find other reasons to pick on you. I myself never attended any schools that required a uniform, but I have many friends who did and never made that much of a difference. Plus there is the issue that many parents can?t afford uniforms. Like others have mentioned lots of parents get a good portion of the clothing their kids wear from second hand shops. When I attended school I often wore the hand me down outfits that my cousins sent my mom when they outgrew them. The whole point of public school is to help the regular person be able to afford to have their children attend school and uniforms is just an unnecessary expense if you ask me. It?s a good idea to have limits as Brasil mentioned as there really are things that aren?t considered acceptable. For one thing when you finish school you will be required to follow dress codes at most jobs anyway, so you?ll be learning what future employers expect in terms of casual or more formal dress.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen][I]Sandra, get off at the next town. [/I]The pink stone said. [I]Both you and Sasha are exhausted and you will need a place to rest.[/I] ?But wouldn?t it be better if we waited until we put a bit more distance between us and the darkness?? Sandra asked. [I]No. It was very faint but I believe that the others are there. There was so much darkness that It was difficult to tell, but now that we are further away I am positive that we are heading away from them. I can?t always feel them, but I always know if I am going in the correct direction.[/I] The stone said. ?If they are there, then why didn?t we get off?? Sandra asked. [I]Because I think the one you encountered before was tracking Sasha. I?m sorry I didn?t mention it before, but truthfully with all the darkness I was not certain.[/I] The Pink stone said. Sandra shivered. Just the thought of the hatred and darkness she encountered the other day was enough to make her want to run as far away as possible. She sighed inwardly. She did not want to return to that city. Even if the others were there she most definitely did not want to be near the darkness. Though she suspected that sooner or later she would have no choice if they were to stop them. She knew about the legend of the Stones of Power and being chosen by the Pink stone meant that she would eventually be called upon to fight those who were chosen by the stones of evil. Had the stone chosen her because of her ability? If so she was going to have to become far stronger than she currently was. And just how was she to stop a stone of evil? Was it possible to destroy the stone? She didn?t know if she could bring herself to kill another human being. She had always healed others; she had never hurt anyone. Even when she had protected herself from would be bullies she had simply pushed them away. As the train started to approach the station she stood up and offered her hand to Sasha. ?It?s time to get off.? She said. Sasha looked up but didn?t move or reply. ?It?s alright, we are only going to go find a place to rest for the night.? Sandra said. Sasha looked back down and softly said, ?I don?t have any money to pay for a place to stay.? ?That?s alright, I do.? Sandra replied. It was the only thing she didn?t have to worry about, as her parents were quite rich. So rich that most of the time they were gone traveling abroad to different countries. It was part of why she had her own apartment, as she didn?t like being home alone in their huge empty mansion. She did stay with them when they were home for a day or two, but most of the time since she turned sixteen they were gone. Sasha looked back up and timidly grasped Sandra?s hand allowing her to help her stand up in the moving train. A few minutes later they both got off and after getting directions from the ticket office they walked into town. Fortunately it wasn?t very far and within moments they arrived. Sandra quickly signed up for a room with two beds and once inside she ordered some dinner for both of them. She set her things on the bed closest to the window and sat down. Sasha had already sat down on the other bed. Sasha didn?t know what to think, she couldn?t possibly pay Sandra back for her share of the room, or for the dinner for that matter. She did have some food with her but she hadn?t told Sandra. She gathered her courage to ask her a question. ?So what are we going to do next?? She finally asked. ?We have to return to the city where you got on the train.? Sandra replied. [I]Back? I can?t go back![/I] She thought! She fought to keep from crying. Sandra could clearly sense how terrified she was of returning. She got up and came over and sat down next to Sasha. ?We have to go back, the other stones of good are still in that city. We need them if we are going to stop the darkness. I don?t fully understand it, but apparently the one who leads us is there.? She paused, and then reached over and gently clasped Sasha?s hands in her own before continuing. ?I know that you have been beaten and hurt by others, but you must trust me as this is what we need to do.? Sasha was too surprised by her knowing that she had been bullied to reply. ?I cannot promise to protect you from the darkness, but against those who do not posses a stone of darkness I can and will. So long as you stay close to me I can extend my barrier to include you. And if we should encounter the darkness I promise to do my best to protect you from that as well.? Sandra said. She let go of her hands and waited for her to reply. [I] She speaks the truth Sasha. So long as you stay close she possesses the ability to create a protective barrier.[/I] The Blue stone said in her mind. [I] You too have abilities though quite different than hers. [/I] [I]I do?[/I] Sasha thought. [I]Yes, though it is not yet the right time for you to use them. I will explain later once we have found the others. But for now you must trust her. If we are careful we should be able to find the others without running into the evil stones.[/I] The Blue stone finished. ?Okay, I?ll go back.? Sasha told Sandra. Both girls jumped when someone knocked on the door. Sandra laughed. ?I guess we both are a bit jumpy.? She smiled and got up to answer the door. It was room service with their dinner. Once they had something to eat and rested, perhaps she would play for Sasha again. Now that she had been with the stone longer she was becoming better at sensing what others felt and Sasha was still quite tense and fearful. Tomorrow was going to be dangerous and they needed their rest. As she brought the food back and handed Sasha her dinner she made up her mind that if necessary she would use her power to help them both sleep. There was no way she was going to willingly face the darkness tomorrow if both of them were exhausted. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Well I was working as a Semi Truck driver, but I kept needing to be close to home as I have other responsibilities that demand my attention. So I finally threw in the towel so to speak and got myself another job so I can be at home like I need to be. So now I?m working for the United States Postal Service. I don?t deliver mail, but instead work in the research and customer service department. Which means I?m currently being trained and still have another three weeks to go. It is nice to have a more regular schedule again. ^_^ What?s really ironic is that the government requires you to be fingerprinted and have a background check just so you can look up people?s address information in their database. Seems like overkill to me, as most of the information is available online. >_< What?s even more ironic is that you even get your driving record checked. I could understand if you were going to drive one of their trucks, but to sit on your butt and use their database? I guess the best part is that since it is a government job at least I don?t have to worry about them outsourcing the job to some other country. I really detest the ?outsourcing benefits the American people garbage.? All I?ve ever seen it do is line the pockets of greedy corporations. Oh well. At least it?s a job right? ^_~[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Following the Pink stones directions Sandra switch trains several times throughout the night and day. She didn?t know where they were going and didn?t ask. She knew that it was taking her to where the other stones of good were. She herself could not sense them but that was probably because they were too far away. It was late in the afternoon when the train approached yet another town. As it approached Sandra began to feel stirrings of conflicting powers. Once again she felt deep bitterness and hatred but among that she also felt a tiny sliver of fear that was also somehow pure and clean. [I]Good, you can feel them. Both the darkness and the good, the one chosen by the blue stone will be joining us shortly.[/I] The stone said. Sandra watched through the window as the train pulled into the station. One of the girls approaching caught her attention as she gathered her bag and entered the same compartment that she was in. Something about how she shyly walked as if afraid to draw attention caught Sandra?s interest. She entered the train and choose a seat that was near yet on the other side of the compartment. The girl looked up at Sandra briefly but when their eyes met she looked down. There could be no mistake; she was the one chosen by the blue stone. Even if she had not been wearing the stone on a necklace around her neck, the aura of purity was unmistakable. Sandra waited for the Pink stone to say something but it was strangely quiet. It was if it and the one the other girl wore were waiting to see how the two girls would react to one another. Although she had never met the girl something about her was somehow familiar to Sandra. Her mannerisms and the way she walked was oddly familiar. Even the way she sat near to her and was careful to not meet her gaze. [I]Of course! It was like the children she worked with at the orphanage! [/I] The ones who were beaten and abused by bullies at school, or by their parents before they ended up as orphans, no wonder it seemed familiar, she had seen it all to often. Sandra knew she was right, she could not always heal the mental trauma, but she had healed beaten up children all too often. It was hard for her to understand what it must feel like, as she had never been beaten by anyone. She had always been able to protect herself with her barrier. And it was even harder still to understand why anyone would hurt another in the first place. The train started moving once again and as it left the city the feelings of bitterness and hatred faded. Sandra watched the girl but she did not look up at her but instead stared down at her hands clasped in front of her on her lap. The stones too were strangely quiet. Sandra reached over and opened her flute case. She knew just what to do to break the silence. She had done it so often for the orphans. Softly she began to play a soothing and calming melody. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the song. Once again the Pink stone blended its consciousness with hers and kept her power from showing so visibly. As she played even though her eyes were closed she could somehow still see the others on the train. The other passengers became quiet and began to listen and the girl with the Blue stone looked up at Sandra her eyes wide with surprise. She continued to play until she felt the fear from the other girl lose a tiny bit of its edge before finishing the song and opening her eyes. The girl with the Blue stone was still staring at her and as she put her flute away several of the passengers complimented her on the beautiful music before returning to what they were doing before she began playing. Sandra put the flute away and said, ?My name is Sandra, what?s yours?? The girl looked down again and softly replied, ?Sasha.? ?Nice to meet you Sasha, I?m happy to finally meet another one of those chosen by the stones of power.? She said with a smile. ?My stone says that there are still others who will join us, how about yours?? Sasha looked up at Sandra and wondered how she could possibly be smiling! [I]It is because her stone is attuned to the happiness in others.[/I] The Blue stone whispered in her mind.[I] And yes she is correct there are still others we must find in order to stop the darkness.[/I] Sasha looked down again and politely said, ?Nice to meet you too.? She was still afraid, but at least she was no longer alone. Sandra didn?t press the conversation. It would take time for Sasha to open up and she was patient. Besides it was nice to finally have someone else who understood what was happening. Sandra couldn?t wait to meet the others. Even without any conversation, the presence of Sasha and the Blue stone was strangely comforting. Once again she looked out the window as the train continued on its way. [I] I hope we meet the others soon[/I], she thought to herself. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Sandra locked the door to her apartment when she left, even though she knew it was likely that she would never return. She had barely closed the door and turned to head towards the stairs to the street when a wave of bitter hatred and darkness hit her. She leaned back against the door and looked around but no one was there! ?What is going on?? she asked the Pink stone. ?What is this that I am feeling?? ?It?s the darkness that I warned you about.? The stone replied. Sandra had never felt anything so powerful before. Such bitter hatred and darkness that craved the destruction of everything it touched. It was terrifying! She felt like a tiny mouse facing a cat, and she froze in place unable to move. ?Sandra! You must ignore it! Place a barrier around yourself! We must leave here immediately!? The stone said. Sandra hesitated, if she raised a barrier the way she felt now her power would manifest visibly as electrical arcs of power even without using her flute. She couldn?t do that! It would only draw unwanted attention! ?Sandra! Trust me, I?ll help you.? The Pink stone said. Sandra took a deep breath and raised a barrier around herself. True to it?s promise she felt the Pink stone blending its consciousness with hers, stabilizing her ability. As the barrier stabilized the paralyzing strength behind the bitter hatred and darkness faded. She could still feel it, but it no longer felt as if it was going to crush her. ?Now quickly, you must go and get on the approaching train. The darkness knows that you are near but not exactly where you are. You are not ready to face it by yourself.? The stone said. [I]By myself? Just what does the stone mean by that? [/I] Sandra picked up her backpack and put it on and then picked up her flute case with her right hand. First she would get away from here; the questions could wait. Sandra practically flew down the stairs and then did her best to walk calmly across the street to the subway station. The next train was due in less than a minute. She had barely walked halfway across the street when she felt something brush up against her barrier. Startled she whirled around but no one was there! Instinctively she looked up to a balcony in the building on the 6th floor. She couldn?t see anyone, but she knew they were there! The pink stone cursed. ?Now Sandra! The train! You can?t afford to miss it!? Sandra turned and ran to catch the train. If she missed it she would be stuck here waiting another fifteen minutes for the next one! More than enough time for who ever was up there to come after her. She cursed under her breath. The last thing she wanted was to be anywhere near the hatred and darkness she could sense! She quickly ran down the stairs to the platform and just barely got in the doors before they closed. She ignored the stares of the other passengers and went forward to sit by herself at the front of the section she was in. Sandra placed her backpack and flute case on the seat next to hers. She leaned back, closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. That had been too close for comfort. The train started moving and before long the feeling of hatred and bitterness faded to where she could no longer feel it. Slowly she lowered her barrier. She sensed nothing. ?That?s because you are out of each others range now.? The stone said in her head. ?So what did you mean when you said I was not ready to face the darkness by myself?? Sandra asked. ?You have heard the legend of the stones of power right? Well it?s not a legend. I am one of those stones.? The pink stone said. Sandra opened her eyes. ?I see then you must mean that we are to join up with the other stones that were on the side of good.? ?Correct, I have been looking for you for several days now, it was not easy as I had to avoid the stone of evil in this area. I almost didn?t find you in time.? The pink stone said. Sandra didn?t reply. If it weren?t for her ability and that she couldn?t dismiss the powerful feelings of hatred and bitterness she had felt she would think she was having a bizarre dream or nightmare. How could something like this be true? ?I don?t understand, if you have been looking for me for days, how come I didn?t sense the evil before tonight?? Sandra asked. ?Because you were not yet connected with me, and sensing such a thing is something you have yet to learn properly. Kind of like how your flute makes your power stronger. Being with me does the same thing.? The stone replied. ?Things will be come clearer when we find the others.? Sandra closed her eyes once again. She had never expected anything like this to happen. What a mess! She didn?t even know where she was going! She sighed softly and opened her eyes to turn and look out the window as the train continued on its way.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]I have just one word to say about this, Brilliant! Makes me wish I had found this place much sooner. ^_^ It was positively hilarious from the beginning where James slipped with his coffee dragging everyone into the net. The attack of the n00bs where they multiplied as a result of being nuked. The Nativity chapter with little plushies acting out the creation of OB. Poor Adam nearly getting vaporized! The play on Star Wars with the Phantom Spammer and Agent Smith. Tee Hee! And I positively loved the part where Desbreko gets furious when they destroy the Zelda forum. And his nad-kicking abilities? Hehe! That was priceless, it so fits him. ^_~ The plushie short with you and James with the coffee was great. And poor Lady Katana being kidnapped by another forum. I especially loved the ?Summoned Creature! DESBREKO!? bit. LOL! I sincerely hope you are creating another chapter to this. ^_^ I keep hearing members talk about the ?good old days? and now I finally understand. ^_~ [/COLOR]

[B]Name: [/B]Celestia Wilkey [B]Age:[/B] 28 [B]Gender: [/B] Female [B]Country:[/B] USA [B]Appearance:[/B] [URL= http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/7143/celestiawilkey3gr.jpg]Celestia[/URL] [B]Personality: [/B] Celestia is hard working and completely serious. Nothing is more important to her than finishing a research project or making sure things run smoothly in her department at work. She has a deep sense of commitment and strongly feels that to give any less than your best is unacceptable. Although she is a bit of a slave driver she is well loved by her colleagues and coworkers, as she also makes sure her staff is well cared for and has everything they need in order to accomplish what she expects of them. [B]Programme: [/B] Celestia is a skilled researcher and medical professional. She has extensive knowledge in chemistry, genetics and medical techniques. Although she is currently head of the government?s research center on human genetics she is easily skilled enough to perform almost any form of medical procedures. She also has the knowledge necessary to know how to create all sorts of biological weapons, formulas for antidotes and how to make all sorts of medicines by simply using the base materials needed. It?s as if all she has to do is see the formula once and she instantly knows how to go about making it. The same with surgical procedures, she only has to see it done once to be able to do it herself. Celestia is quick on her feet as she was trained in hand to hand combat since she was a child, but it?s a skill she rarely uses as she only learned it to be able to defend herself against a would be mugger or rapist. She is skilled with a set of knifes and is a fair shot with handguns, but beyond that she knows next to nothing about actual combat. She still practices it on a regular basis, but primarily as it helps her to stay fit and therefore have greater stamina for the long hours she puts in at the Genetics Research Institute. [B]Feelings Towards Project SOUL: [/B] Celestia has heard the rumors of such a project, but believes it to be a myth made up by people who are uneducated and too stupid to realize what the chips are really used for. Having worked with the government for a long time she has helped in unlocking the secrets behind a human?s genetic code that would allow such a device to be used to regulate and control a person?s system and therefore slow down aging and prevent most diseases. Celestia herself is controlled by the government and doesn?t realize that the chip implanted in her actually does control her. [B]Character Snippet: [/B] Celestia finished reading the report regarding the latest failed experiment and shut down the computer before leaving her office for the day. In spite of extensive research something was still off. She was puzzled by the last three subjects who in spite of doing so well at the beginning of the chip insertion were still developing and catching diseases. According to her calculations every single fetus implanted should be free of any defects. Admittedly only about one in a thousand was having problems, but there just shouldn?t be any at all! Celestia climbed into her small modest white Geo Prism and drove through the opened security doors to the underground garage of the laboratory. She absent mindedly waved to the security guard on duty and then went back to thinking about her project. What was really irritating is that she had been handed a new project by the government and she didn?t want to leave the current one until the bugs were worked out. As much as she would love to refuse she knew that the newest assignment would have to take top priority. Apparently there were those with the chips implanted that had gone rouge so to speak. As the general public was unaware that the chips even existed it posed a threat to the entire project, as people would go nuts when they realized that they had a chip implanted in them. The last thing Celestia wanted to happen was for people to throw away decades of research because they were paranoid. No she would do as ordered and assist in the search for those who had been driven mad and delusional by the malfunction. She would need to recover the chips so she could determine what had gone wrong. Now if only they could assign her with someone intelligent, unlike the last time she had been required to assist the military.

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]I don?t remember where I got this joke from but here goes: [B]The Karate Dog[/B] There was this couple that lived in a very rich neighborhood in California. They had a nice home, cars and furniture. They had barely been there a week when one day they came home from work to find that the entire house had been stripped clean. Even the garage and attic had been cleaned out. Figuring it was just their bad luck they went through the process of filing with their insurance company and used the money to replace all the things that had been stolen. Not wanting to be robbed again this time they had a very expensive state of the art security system installed. Every thing went well for about a week and then once again they came home to find everything gone again, even the new security system they had installed was gone. Exasperated over the loss the lady of the house decided to look for another method to safe guard their home. She was looking through the classifieds when she saw an advertisement for a Karate Dog. Curious she went to see the person who was selling the dog. When she got there a tiny Chinese man took her out back to see the Karate Dog. To her surprise it was a tiny little miniature poodle. She turned to leave but the man said, ?Wait! I will demonstrate!? Curious she turned back to watch. The Chinese man placed a huge thick board on top of two bricks and said, ?Karate Dog! Board!? In a flash the tiny poodle tore the huge thick board into tiny splinters. Amazed by the poodle?s ability she bought the poodle from the Chinese man and took it home. When the lady of the house got home she went inside and waited patiently for her husband, she couldn?t wait to show him the new Karate Dog she had gotten to guard their home. When he walked in she ran to him and said, ?Honey! Look! I got us a Karate Dog to guard the house!? Her husband turned and looked at the tiny miniature poodle and said, ?Karate Dog my butt!? [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Over all I think everyone did a good job on his or her submission. The one I care for the least would be the one by Kitty. It?s well done, but like Who? Said the image used is something I?ve seen quite a bit so it just didn?t catch my attention. Also, the words seem to be on the blurry side, at least on my monitor, and I?m not talking about the reflection of the words. Anyway, as a result the f and l of reflection seem to be running together a bit when I look at it. [B]EDIT:[/B] 11-7-05 Please don't take it personal. :animeswea I was voting based on my initial reaction when I viewed the pictures. As all of them are beautiful I chose the one that didn't immediately catch my attention. Truthfully there are things about each picture I find off. So no offense meant okay? ^_^ Besides, my talents at creating such pictures is limited, but doesn't that make my input valuable in the sense that the regular public is not familiar with how a picture is created? It's one thing to analyize a picture when you understand what they did to create it. But for someone like me who doesn't know unless told, well I chose based on what I do know. Even if it isn't a lot. [/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkOliveGreen][B]EDIT:[/B] 11-12-04 Katana I guess I should try to explain my choice a little better. It?s more than a I don?t like the picture cause I?ve seen it a lot vote. It was part of why it didn?t grab my attention, but it?s more than that. I?m not sure how to explain it but it?s also because of the words that go with the picture. It just doesn?t seem to flow in the sense that the water is in motion and yet it?s stating show me my own reflection. To me moving water doesn?t show you your reflection so the picture didn?t seem to fit the saying. So it?s a combination of the image didn?t grab my attention and I don?t think it fits the saying. Even though it?s beautifully done. I can see where Aaryanna was going with her disagreeing as people were asking for a counter-vote without saying why they felt one was needed. No one before you mentioned that they felt I needed to explain in further detail as to why I voted the way I did. It did kind of look like what she was complaining about. So hopefully the more in depth explanation clears that up for you and the others. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]My user name is based off of a Star Trek book I read a long time ago. The character is someone whose songs later save an entire race from dying. I loved the name so I made it my e-mail address a while back. Then when I started doing more stuff online I started using the name when I signed up for various things. I prefer to use just Sunfall but if it?s taken then I use other combinations of the character?s name, like the SunfallE as the E is the first letter of the character?s last name. So far I?ve always been able to get some form of the character's name as my user name. I?d use my nickname Beth or Bethany, but usually it?s already taken.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Here they are, hope you like them. ^_^ I'm sorry I didn't get them posted earlier today but my Internet quit working and I couldn't get online for several hours. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Do you have a character in mind? Cause seriously I have pictures for quite a few of them from the series. If you have a favorite, like say Dark, Daisuke, or Krad, or if you want one of the other characters let me know and I'll give it a try. I've also made a whole set of avatars if you wanted one to match the banner. ^_^[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=Indigo]This is where both you and YohsAnna lost any form of creditability in my opinion. Even I understand how to upload a picture to a free server. If you can upload a picture to the ZU site then you can also simply go to [url]www.imageshack.us[/url] and sign up and do the same thing. It is not an issue of being able to upload it here at otaku as you do have the ?attach a file? option when you are making a post. Instead you are throwing out meaningless accusations by telling people that they are mean and to get a life. I was giving YohsAnna the benefit of the doubt by asking her to upload and host the picture herself. Quite truthfully all the two of you are doing is looking like thieves who claim others fan art as their own and then scream and yell when someone points this out. Instead of getting angry you could try going to the PC/Mac section or even the Suggestions & Feedback area as you can post in both areas asking for assistance on how to host your own images as it is usually considered rude to hotlink to others sites as it uses up their bandwidth. [/COLOR] [COLOR=Indigo]I will explain once again that it is simple for someone to upload a picture to a free server as. If ChronosDevil can post it on ZU then why can?t she post in an image shack account as well? As I said before, it?s free and simple to do. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]I agree with[B] indifference[/B], it is rather simple to host an image yourself. If you can upload it to the ZU site then you can just as easily host it at image shack. And it is rude to hotlink to another site and steal their bandwidth. I tried going there and I have no intention of joining another forum just to see someone's art. And I agree with [B]kuroinuyoukai[/B], all we are doing is explaining how to host an image so everyone at Otaku can see it without having to sign up to another forum to view the art. [B]ChronosDevil[/B] try asking for help instead of outright attacking other users for the request. Such an outburst makes me more inclined to believe[B] YohsAnna[/B] actually did plagerize someone else. It certainly doesn't make either one of you look very creditable. And [B]ChronosDevil[/B] all [B]indifference[/B] did was ask for the picture to be hosted so she didn't have to join the ZU forum and point out that it's not possible to prove you know someone online. Seriously, chill out a little.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Well here's my attempt. Hope you like them. If not I won't be offended as there are others here far more talented at making banners and avatars than I am. ^_^[/COLOR] [IMG]http://img314.imageshack.us/img314/3370/scryedbanner019fu.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img314.imageshack.us/img314/231/scryedavatar012cz.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img314.imageshack.us/img314/3033/scryedavatar029pi.jpg[/IMG]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Name: Sandra Williams Gender: Female Age: 17 Day Appearance: [URL=http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/2226/sandrawilliams027cr.jpg][COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Daytime[/COLOR][/URL] [B]Night Appearance:[/B] [URL=http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/7205/sandrawilliams013ly.jpg][COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Nighttime[/COLOR][/URL] [B]Personality:[/B] She is easygoing and very kind. Sandra loves working with orphaned children and spends most of her free time assisting the various orphanages. She has a deep love of music and diligently studies how to play the flute though truthfully the ability to play just comes naturally. When she plays for the children its as if all your cares and worries are taken away and replaced with a smile. [B]IC:[/B] As the last note of music from her flute faded away, Sandra slowly lowered the flute and opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw that all the orphans had fallen asleep. Every evening if she had the time she would stop by and play the children a lullaby. It warmed her heart to see their happy faces when she came to visit. Sandra got up and quietly left the room softly closing the door to the girls shared bedroom. Sandra turned to see one of the Sisters who helped run the place standing there. ?Thank you for playing for the children Sandra,? the sister said. ?They always look forward to hearing you play, as do I.? Sandra smiled and said, ?You?re welcome sister. I love playing for them, it?s hard enough being an orphan, I just wish I could do more for them.? The sister smiled, ?You do far more than you give yourself credit for Sandra? she said as they walked down the hall towards the front door. When they got there she also said, ?Be careful walking home, I?d feel better if you had someone to take you home when it?s already dark out.? ?It?s all right sister, I will not be bothered by anyone.? Sandra said. She walked out the front door and headed towards home. The sister watched her leave and said a silent prayer for her safety. Such kind and gentle girls like Sandra were difficult to find. Just her smile was enough to make one feel happy, and her music, well the sister knew she didn?t know a lot about it, but even she was positive that Sandra was gifted. It was soothing and relaxing and quite heavenly to listen too. The sister turned and went back to check on the children. Sandra was deep in thought as she walked towards home. Lately it had become increasingly difficult to hide the power that seemed to be contained in her music. Ever since she was a child she had been able to play the flute and sooth an angry dog, or heal someone who was sick and even put people to sleep. She could even create a protective barrier. Which is why she knew no one would bother her, she could easily push someone away with her power. She didn?t know why she could do it. Sandra could do so without the flute, but for some reason the music just made the ability even more powerful. It hadn?t been a problem until the last week. The ability had become so strong that she had to struggle to suppress it as it would manifest as electric arcs of power that were clearly visible, especially at night. Sandra sighed, if she didn?t figure it out soon she would have to quit playing for the children, as she somehow knew that such an ability if known would cause problems. Sandra walked up the stairs to her apartment. She reached into her purse and pulled out the keys. When she got to the top of the stairs she saw a small-unmarked package by her door. For some reason she felt drawn to the package and she picked it up and carried it inside with her. When Sandra opened the package she found a beautiful Pink Stone. It was carefully attached to a silver chain. Without a second thought she immediately put it on. ?Greetings Sandra.? A voice said in her head. Sandra turned around quickly, but no one was there! ?Don?t be afraid, look at the pink stone you just put on.? The voice said. Sandra looked at the stone she had just put on. ?That?s right, I am the one speaking to you. We don?t have much time. Bring your flute and a small backpack of clothes and items you will need. It?s not safe here.? The pink stone said. Sandra was stunned! As bizarre as it seemed, somehow she instinctively knew that the stone was correct and that it was connected to the changes in how her power worked. ?Please Sandra, you mustn?t delay! The darkness approaches and unless we leave soon even the children you love will be affected!? the stone said. ?Where are we going and who are you?? Sandra asked while she was gathering her things. The stone replied, ?I?ll explain on the way, now please hurry!? Sandra quickly finished packing a few items into her backpack, she opened the door to her apartment and left, closing the door behind her. Interested in playing: Pink stone of Happiness. Hope that?s what you are looking for. ^_^[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Hehehehe! The changes are just too cute! ^_^ I love the new section titles as well. Along with the top picture and the little pumpkins. ^_^[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=René][COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial] Utilising that method I'd still need to carry about 10 CDs... I know people who would have to carry more than a hundred. lol And I don't think people are really getting the point of mp3 players that hold excessive amounts of music. It's not that we'd listen to all that music all the time - far from it, I have about 800 songs I rarely play - but it's the fact they want the power to have all their music on them at all times, so if they *do* want to listen to something they wouldn't normally carry, they can. When you have that one song stuck in your head, would you prefer waiting all day to hear it, or just finding it on your mp3 player and listening to it immediately? I know what I'd prefer, heh. Combined with the fact that they're smaller and more convenient, it's just a better choice for those people who have plenty of music.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]I understand that the point of mp3 players is that they hold a lot of music. But for those of use who don?t have that much music I just couldn?t see paying between 200 to 300 dollars on an iPod when an 80 dollar walkman works just fine for me. I still have room to add more songs to both my rock and classical disks. I just don?t have that big of a collection of music. ^_^ Now if I did have that much, well then it would be a different story. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]You don?t have to get an iPod if you are just looking for something that will play mp3?s and hold lots of songs. I bought myself a Sony Walkman D-NS505 CD player earlier this year, as I wanted something that could handle the constant jarring of a Semi Truck and also hold lots of music and not be a battery hog. You don?t have to keep hitting next as you can organize your songs into folders and albums and the software that comes with it lets you use your computer to created disks that hold right around 490 songs. Which means I carry around two Disks, one with my regular rock music and one with the classical and that?s it. All my original disks stay at home. You don?t even have to create anything special for mp3?s you just copy them on a disk and it reads them. Basically it works great, it doesn?t skip when you are driving, the batteries last around 50 hours and it cost less than a hundred dollars. I?ve had mine for about 7 months and so far it works great. [/COLOR]

[QUOTE=Generic NPC #3]They only bothered because they were sued and it was part of their agreement afterwards. Sony sure as hell didn't want to help anyone out. If anything, I think both companies should increase the warranty time to a year... like Nintendo has had for as long as I can remember. Personally, I've not had any problems with any of the three systems and I've had them for quite some time.[/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Why am I not surprised? I guess all that had already occurred when I called them as I was given a case number and directed to the nearest Toys R Us store. All I had to do was give them the old one and I got a brand new one from the store. I guess I should thank who ever sued them as it meant my issue was handled quickly and without fuss. I agree on the warranty. It?s kind of sad as so many devices use to be a full year and now so many of them are changing to 30, 60, and 90 day warranties. Though if you buy it from a place like circuit city, you can get a store warranty for less than $20 bucks that?s good for two years on most electronics. It?s only good for the item being replaced once, but it?s well worth it seeing as so many things don?t last very well these days. I?ve saved hundreds of dollars by having the warranty as I?ve had several things break after the normal warranty expires. [/COLOR]

Are you planning on using the banner here? If so the limit is 500 x 100. I can do the 400 width but the height would have to be 100. If it's for elsewhere then let me know and I'll give making you a banner a shot. ^_^

Here's my attempt at an avatar and banner. Hope you like them. ^_^ If not, well at least I had fun making them. ^_^

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]I would be greatly surprised to see them actually be more thorough with the testing. I understand it just gets too expensive after a while. Though with the PS2 they did actually offer to replace the first ones released that were getting disk read errors. I remember it as I got one of the very first one?s made and a year later it started giving me a disk read error message all the time. It was kind of annoying, but Sony did replace it for free and so far the replacement has worked fine. ^_^ As for Xbox, well I haven?t a clue if they did the same or not. I never actually got one, as the system doesn?t have very many games that I like.[/COLOR]

I'm having the same problem. In fact every time I tried to access either myOtaku, theOtaku or OtakuBoards today I got the error message saying server cannot be found or page cannot be displayed. This is the first time I've even seen one of the pages all day long. And now that I can finally log on it's extremely slow and myOtaku pages don't load. They start to and other than to load the background picture the rest of the page doesn't load. None of them load not even my own page. I too checked my computer for problems and didn't find anything wrong and I'm not having any issues with other sites, only the sites here. :animesigh I hope whatever is causing the problem is fixed soon. It's kind of frustrating as I can see in my backroom that people have updated and I can't visit to see what's up.

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]Excellent work, both of you. [B]Retribution:[/B] I really like how you put your concept of great literature together. It really fits, as not only is literature a collection of great works but I like how it is simple and uncluttered by modern technology. The layout is very soothing as it is uncluttered by graphic effects that didn?t fully exist when many great works were written. The only glaring issue I have is the space between the pictures and the final border. It?s just a bit to much as the inner spacing is so much smaller. [B]Delta: [/B] Your picture is actually quite the masterpiece. It is beautifully done and the graphic effects really look good together. It is wonderful, but it has a very modern feel to it that distracts from the idea of great literature. To me it captures the essence of math and how our technology has evolved as a result. In my opinion great literature was the power of the written word and not the ability to create stunning visual effects. It is superbly done; I just don?t think it fits the theme very well. For this one my vote goes to [B]Retribution [/B] as I think it clearly captures the very nature of great literature.[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=Indigo] Have you consistently been called the wrong name for most of your life? [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]That?s like the story of my life! My full legal name is Elizabeth and nearly everyone shortens it to the nickname Liz. It drives me up the wall, as I really hate that nickname. Even the boys when I was in grade school would turn it into something like Lizzy Lizard. I lost count of the times I got sent to the principals office for beating them up for calling me that. When I was twelve I decided I was sick of it and started putting Beth on everything instead. I occasionally get called Bethany now, but I actually like that so it?s no big deal. Ironically I?ve gone by Beth for so long that I no longer even think of myself as Elizabeth. Though since people still call me Liz if they realize my name is Elizabeth I?ve thought of changing my name legally to Beth or Bethany. One would think that as an adult it wouldn?t matter, but I still hate the nickname Liz. Now for my question: Isn?t it a bit strange that Doctors call what they do practice?[/COLOR]